Day 2 - Quitters Club Panel: How They Built Their Bookkeeping Biz

Juggling Life and Business

Katie: What tips do you have for building the business while juggling life's other demands?

Sara: When I started my business, my youngest was seven months old, so it was not a great time to start a business.

I think part of it was being inspired by you, Katie, and your podcast. I was like, “She has three kids, and she can do it. I only have two.” 

As far as tips to maximize your time, I think the things that are going to push you the hardest and get you the farthest are probably the things you're scared to do, unfortunately. So I suggest putting the things that scare you on your calendar.

For me, that meant blocking out Wednesdays to intentionally spend time with my family. It inspired me to work harder during the rest of the week in order to make that happen.

Lisa: I kind of went against the grain. I went through a big season of hustle when I first started my business. I've always been the type of person that had bursts of energy, and I have to ride that wave while I have it, because I know it's not going to last forever. 

I had goals. I wanted to meet those goals, and I had the drive to do it, and I wasn't afraid of the season of hustle. But it wasn't glamorous. I was giving up things in that season; I was up really late working on my website, working on automations, etcetera. I could have done it much more simplified, but I wanted those things for me. 

So I did the hustle thing, it wasn't glamorous, but recently I actually took a step back and decided to stop taking on new clients for a while so I could adjust things to be more intentional. I’m now able to slow down and start taking better care of myself, and redefining my goals and priorities has helped a lot. I’m realigning now, and it feels really good. 

Cara: It's hard in the beginning, and I don't think there's a way of sugarcoating that.

I have two kids. When I was working nine to five, I had a lot of demands on me, and I would definitely not have been able to make this shift without support. My husband was pretty much the parent for a year while I built this; I sacrificed a lot of time with my kids.

My tips would be to give yourself grace, and to know what you're doing is not easy, but it's worth it. 

Taylor: Similarly to Cara and Lisa, I spent a lot of time hustling and trying to build the business.

Katie says this a lot too, but my advice is to make sure you get your processes in place while you're not taking on clients. While you're still learning stuff, get your client acquisition software set up, get your website set up, get all of those backend pieces set up, because once the clients start rolling in, you're going to be so busy that you're not going to have time to do any of that stuff.

That honestly saved me, because if I had started that process after I started getting clients, I would've been screwed. 

Cassandra: One thing that I struggled with was making myself available 24/7. So my tip is not to do that. 

Being a small business owner, I feel like when people reach out to me, I have to get back to them immediately. But I’m teaching myself to remember that it's not an emergency. I don’t have to be available constantly.

What Would You Have Done Differently?

Katie: What would you have done differently?

Sara: I had a hard time coming up with an answer for this question, because I really do believe that every wrong step sets you in the direction of the right step. But if I had to choose something, I think I wouldn't have invested in so many different programs that first year. I would’ve listened to myself more and less to other people. 

Lisa: I'm the same as Sarah. I think all of the things that I did that I would technically do differently wouldn't have gotten me here. 

I will say that I wouldn’t have played around with different technology so much. I started with Kajabi, and then I switched to ShowIt, and then I moved back to Kajabi again. I think I would've just stuck with Kajabi and not played with ShowIt.

Cara: I would've definitely hired a subcontractor sooner. And I could've stuck my ground a lot more with my pricing. But I agree with the others; I think I needed to experience those mistakes first.

Taylor: I agree. I don't think if you told me these things a year ago that I would've been receptive to any of what I needed to change.

I feel like I would've hired more quickly as well. But I think if you told me that six months ago, I don't think I would've listened. 

Cassandra: I probably would’ve invested in coaching a lot sooner than I did, because my quitter story's a little bit different than the rest of you guys, because I didn't quit an accounting firm. I quit insurance. 

I used to be an insurance agent before this, so I don't have any prior accounting experience before this. If I had invested in coaching a lot sooner, I could have saved myself a lot of headache and had my processes a lot more streamlined.

How Did Become a Bookkeeper Make You Feel?

Katie: So for all of you, as Become a Bookkeeper and Life By The Books students, I have a threefold question for you: how did you feel before or as you were making the investment into Become a Bookkeeper and Life By The Books, how do you feel about the investment now in hindsight, and what would you tell someone who's considering joining one or both of these programs?

Sara: Before joining, I was feeling frustrated with my current work situation. I was working from home, but we didn't know when we would be required to go back in the office, and I didn’t want that. But I didn’t know how I could build my own business.

Then I found you, I binged your podcast, and I felt really excited because it told me I could do this.

In hindsight, I can't imagine a better program to understand how to build a bookkeeping business. 

I would say to somebody considering joining that if you feel like you need more confidence, Become a Bookkeeper is the way to go. And then as far as Life By The Books, it’s not going to be rainbows and butterflies the whole time, but if you have that drive and that passion and you're willing to put in the work, do it. 

Lisa: Before I joined, I had the money set aside, though it was still hard to spend. But I knew that Become a Bookkeeper was the course that would take me straight to my destination, and it was worth it to me. And about twenty minutes into the coursework in Become a Bookkeeper, I was like, “Okay, I'm doing Life By The Books.” It was a natural progression. I had no doubt whatsoever.

In hindsight, I still feel like they were by far the best investments that I made, because I'm also still continuing the coaching. I've never left. I joined and I've been here ever since. 

Cara: I will tell anyone who will listen that I love Katie’s programs and that I'm obsessed with her. I want everyone to do these programs. 

At the beginning of my journey, I was very hesitant. I had a million and one questions, Katie, but you sat there and answered every single one of them.

I’ve had other bookkeepers reach out to me and ask if they should do Katie's program, and I always tell them, “Just reach out to her. She wants you to want to be in this program, and she wants you to understand and know that it's a good choice for you.” 

I did Become a Bookkeeper because I felt like I needed the technical support. It gave me a lot of the missing pieces that I did not have from working in corporate and brought the whole picture together, especially the tax section. Then after I was in Become a Bookkeeper, Life By The Books was a no-brainer. 

I had taken another course previous to this, but I didn't feel as supported. I didn't feel confident enough to take on a client. After I took Become a Bookkeeper and then moved into Life By The Books, I knew I was ready. I have no regrets. 

Taylor: I actually got referred to you, Katie, by one of your previous students. I had been thinking about starting a bookkeeping business, and I had looked up bookkeepers on Instagram, so I reached out to her and she told me to look into your programs.

I started listening to your podcast, and you were just so relatable. You were saying all the things that I had always been thinking.

I listened to the podcast, then I was like, “I need to buy the course.” So I invested in Become a Bookkeeper first, mainly because like I said, I didn't want to overcomplicate things for my clients. And I thought Life By The Books would be the next best step, because I needed the support that came with the community and the calls. It’s like having your own team of bookkeepers that you can ask questions to, which I feel is so important as an entrepreneur, because when you leave your corporate job, you don't really have a boss or other team members you can ask for help. With the Life By The Books group, I feel like I still have that. 

As for Become a Bookkeeper, I think I made my investment back after my first setup, and then the same happened with Life By The Books right after that. 

Cassandra: I felt really hesitant before Become a Bookkeeper because I tend to have shiny object syndrome sometimes. I buy things and then don't follow through with them, but I actually did with both of these programs.

When I first started Become a Bookkeeper, I opened it and saw the college textbook, and I knew from that moment that program was going to be top-tier. 

I don't have any college background at all. I don't have a degree or anything like that. I've only graduated high school, and Become a Bookkeeper made me realize I don't need a degree to do bookkeeping. I don't want to offend people with degrees, but you don't need that.

With the way Katie teaches, it's so descriptive and detailed that you're going to understand literally everything that she's going through. 

In hindsight, I just wish I would've invested sooner. I would've saved myself so many years of struggle.

I would tell anyone considering joining to just do it. Don’t be scared of the price tag. The return on investment is so much bigger, and it was also pretty quick.